Okay so I've got an interview for Psychology, (Politics - but ignore
that part I won't be studying it) and Sociology at Cambridge in
about 2 weeks, and I was thinking about things I could talk
about. I've been reading a few sociology journals, and a couple of
them hint at the fact that people have multiple personalities on
the web. There's never been any concrete research into this, and
I think it would be interesting to devise some. So I have a couple
of questions which should take all of 5 seconds to answer. If you
could answer them (doesn't have to be done seriously), that
would be great.

1. the internet's an anonymous refuge. it's easy to be more open about certain experiences you've had because there's no worries it will affect what you've already been through. at the same time, you can present the image of yourself as you want it to be and not as you actually are. just like you would act differently on a first date than you would around your friends, you present a different side of yourself when on the internet.

2. i'm pretty similar to how i am generally, though i am a bit quicker to call people out here than i am normally and am more likely to speak my mind.

3. i don't give much of a fuck on the internet, so it's really easy. i imagine people who are lying about what they are like or severely accentuating certain aspects of themselves would struggle more though.

I don't think that my personality has changed much since I was a little kid, but people have said that I have changed some, but that's mostly because of the changing roles each person has played in my life.

"I don't take it seriously because the internet is the most informal place ever."
And exactly because of this - at least from a psychological point of view - conducting such studies would be completely irrelevant or at least not at all interesting for anyone that deals with psychology.

There's no denying that the growth of the internet in mainstream society is changing the dynamics of many social structures that, up to this point, have been taken for granted (with the exception of a few minor disputes). I don't think informality, which to my mind doesn't change much anyway, should prevent any research into its implications. Anyway, this is sociology, not psychology. Big shift in emphasis.

Thanks to the people who've answered so far, I'm going to go off and (sleep +) try to figure out how I'm going to develop this into something slightly more scientific - with goals, controls, theories and so on. Any further contributions would help this go more fluidly, of course.

1) I think that would imply that people have two obvious sets of personalities when on the internet and in face value, when honestly, I think a lot of people change, hide, or reveal aspects of who they are given the circumstances. If you're interacting with a clique you want to be a part of, or one you don't approve of but have no real deal with them, you adapt or go along with certain traits you wouldn't if you were with family or really close friends. So yeah I guess I believe, to some extent, that it's rare to find someone who acts the same irl as they do online, but I think that it's the same reason why when we're by ourselves, we're not the same as when we're in a crowd of strangers.
2) With the internet I have a little more time to calculate what I say or if I say it. Otherwise I don't think I'm that much different. I'm generally a boring person, and very conscious of how others perceive me regardless of how much they really mean to me overall.
4) People change accordingly to who they have to deal with. I find no reason to judge them. It's interesting when they do, and the contrast it creates, but otherwise I don't believe there's any part of your personality that isn't entirely yours, regardless of how insecure or emotionally stunted you are because of it.

1) Yes. The internet gives us the possibility to be a totally different person with no drawbacks, which would explain as to why people are generally different over the internet.

2) I don't really know how to answer that question, I rarely participate in any discussions, I just look at them from an outside perspective. But to be honest, if ever I were trying to fit in, I would probably change a bit.

3) Hmm, after having observed various personalities, I think change could come across easily, since I literally have no internet personality so to speak.

4) Here's one question where I'm not too sure how to answer; some people say it's just the internet, and everything should be taken lightly, while on the other hand, we shouldn't forget that we're dealing with real people, with real emotions. Some people may "bully" others, calling it harmless fun, but the people being affected in this case might not take it as a joke, and actually take it to heart. I am personally on the fence about the whole issue.

This is the longest comment I've ever posted on Sputnik, you should be flattered.